When I went up to my dorm, my friends and I were still celebrating. It ended for me when I had to start my homework. I tried to stay focus but Abby was making it kind of hard. She was standing in the center of the room acting out an overdramatic revision of the Wizard's Chess match.
By eleven thirty all the girls in my dorm except me were asleep in their beds. I was still trying to complete my homework. Abby and Jane had offered to help me but I denied because I wanted to do my homework by myself to absolute perfection which I knew would take a while, what can I say I'm a perfectionist. I finished close to one o'clock in the morning and drifted off into a deep sleep not even bothering to put my books away.
A couple of hours later, Jane's alarm clock forced me to wake up at the ungodly hour of seven o'clock in the morning. I got up straight away, this time, learning my lesson from yesterday. I saw the letter I forgot to open and opened it quickly. It said in mom's neat writing:
Dear Rose,
Your father and I are so proud of you getting into Ravenclaw. It comes at no surprise. We always knew you were intelligent and creative. I hope you are happy in Ravenclaw and are making lots of friends.
Have fun but be careful. We'll see you Christmas and we'll write.
Lots of love,
Mom, Dad and Hugo
P.S Look out for Albus, even though he's in Slytherin he's still the same person.
I took out a piece of parchment to write back. I wrote:
Dear Mom and Dad,
I'm really happy in Ravenclaw. I've made two new friends Abby and Jane who are both in my year and are also in Ravenclaw. You would really like them. My classes are interesting, but I keep getting lost. Hogwarts is so big and wonderful. It's even better than what you told me and what I've read.
Dad, you'll be happy to know that last night I beat a rude boy at a game of Wizard's Chess and won ten Galleons!
Al is fine, he has friends in Slytherin. I'll write again soon and I'll see you at Christmas. Give Hugo a big hug from me.
Lots of love,
Rose
Nothing that interesting happened until Thursday. Up until then I went to class did my homework and got lost (I was slowly improving on that). I had a Transfiguration and Herbology with the Slytherin's so I got to see Albus during those classes. I really only mean see, I never got the chance to talk to him. Albus was always in the middle of Malfoy's Slytherin gang and sitting with them. Al only sometimes smiled at me when he saw me looking at him. Luckily Malfoy didn't speak to me or even notice me so my wish came through! I may even have a Malfoy free year!
On Thursday, I had my first flying lesson with Slytherin. Abby, Jane and I moaned about it all the way there. We were (of course) the last to get there. Everyone had already chosen a broomstick and the only free broomsticks were next to the Slytherins. We desperately searched the place to see if there was anymore.
"You, you and you." Yelled Madam Hooch pointing Abby, Jane and me. "Quit wasting time and stand next a broom or there'll be points from Ravenclaw."
Jane pushed me towards the Slytherins and I then found myself standing next to Malfoy (Wonderful!). I tried to pretend he wasn't there. I focused my eyes on the broomstick at my feet. I felt nervous, I really didn't like flying.
I remember when I was seven or eight my dad took me flying with him. I was never more scared in my life. He took my five feet in the air and I couldn't stop screaming and I turned really green. He was forced to bring me down.
My dad was disappointed in me. For some reason he thought I would follow in his footsteps and join my house quidditch team when I was older and love quidditch. Oh how wrong he was, I never went on a broomstick again. I was really hoping to continue with this but Madam Hooch doesn't look like a woman who would let me sit out.
Why would you even need to fly a broomstick when you could floo, apparate or use a portkey? It's a pretty stupid invention if you ask me. We could be learning something actually useful right now.
Madam Hooch's loud voice interrupted my thoughts.
"Good afternoon, class!"
"Good afternoon, Madam Hooch." Everyone replied.
"I want you to step up to the left side of your broom. Stick your right hand over the broom and say 'up'." Madam Hooch instructed.
We all stepped up to the left side of our broomsticks and said up. Albus got his broomstick to come into his hand on the first try and Malfoy who was beside me did too. Jane and Abby struggled but got it on after a couple of times of saying 'up'.
I, on the other hand, couldn't get the broomstick to fly into my hand no matter how many times I said 'up'. All the broomstick did was roll around on the floor. Malfoy found my efforts extremely funny. Soon the rest of the class found it funny too because everyone else had gotten their broomsticks up.
"Up, up, up, up, up, up!" I said to the broomstick using different tones for each "up". I was getting very hot and frustrated by now. All I wanted was the damn thing to come up! Was that too much to ask?
Malfoy then said across to me an encouragement I suppose you could call it.
"Try giving out to it."
Well, what have I got to lose?
"UP!" I roared.
Oh, why did I do what Malfoy said?!
The broomstick came up and whacked me in my oversized teeth. It may not sound that painfully but it was, because whatever way I was standing the top of the broomstick collided with my gum/ my two front teeth.
"OWWW!" I yelped and grabbed my mouth. The whole class roared with laughter as the evil broomstick fell back on the ground.
I felt hot tears fall down my cheeks (it really hurt, okay?). I could taste the coppery taste of blood. I gave the horrible broomstick a well-deserved kick.
"Madam Hooch!" Jane called.
Madam Hooch hurried over to us from the other side of the training grounds.
"Weasley, isn't it?" asked Madam Hooch. "What have you done?"
I took my hands away from my mouth revealing what the idiotic broomstick had done. Malfoy watching and let out a gasp "That's got to hurt!"
"Silence." Madam Hooch said to Malfoy. "Mr Malfoy, would you escort Miss Weasley to the Hospital Wing. I do you know where that is, boy?"
"Yes, Madam Hooch." Malfoy answered.
"Madam Hooch," Abby said. "I can or Jane escort Rose to the Hospital Wing?"
"Please, Madam Hooch." Jane added.
Such good friends I have! No way did I want Malfoy to escort me to the Hospital Wing with an injury that was his entire fault. I might just kill him.
"No, you cannot." Madam Hooch said sternly. "You're too far behind in flying to miss this lesson. Mr Malfoy is advanced enough to miss this."
Jane and Abby shot me a sympathetic look as I left with Malfoy. Albus gave me a worried look. I put my sleeve up to my mouth to cover the bleeding. I quickly wiped my tears with my other hand. I was not going to cry anymore in front of Malfoy, especially not alone. When I was doing this Malfoy pretended not to be watching me out of the corner of his eye.
As we walked from the Training Grounds towards the castle I had a full rant in my mind about Malfoy.
When Malfoy and I reached the inside of the castle Malfoy turned to me and had the nerve to ask,
"Are you okay?"
I shot him a glare and said.
"What you think?"
"What?" he said confused, clearly not understanding what I was saying through my sleeve and blood.
I took my sleeve down from my mouth and said very clearly spitting blood at him, accidentally (or was it?).
"What-do-you-think?"
Malfoy pulled a face of disgust and attempted to wipe away the blood that I spat on his robes with his hands.
"Ew." He stated. "Why did you do that, Weasley?"
"Why did you tell me to yell at the broom?" I shot back at his question angrily. "You knew it would do that didn't you?"
Malfoy frowned at me.
"Firstly, it was extremely sad watching you mess up a simple thing."
"It was not sad-"
"It was. Secondly,-"
"It wasn't simple, either!"
"SECONDLY," Malfoy shouted sick of me interrupting. "I didn't know that would happen. If I did I would've kept my mouth shut. But either way, I guarantee you would've still injured yourself."
"You don't know if I going to injure myself." I argued knowing that I probably would've injured myself no matter what, but I didn't want Malfoy to think I was accident-prone or that he was better than me. "I could be the best flyer in the world. Once I get on the broomstick."
Malfoy rolled his eyes.
"How would you know?" I snapped.
"Al told us a hilarious story about you on a broom with your dad." He said cruelly. "He said to watch you in the flying lesson it would be the funniest thing ever!"
I felt my face fall sadly with betrayal. Albus told people that and laughed about even though he said he wouldn't tell a living soul. I felt like crying again what else has he told his Slytherin friends. Hurt swelled in my chest.
I looked at Malfoy, his expression wasn't cruel anymore it was uncomfortable like he regretted what he had just said.
I walked straight ahead quickly, forgetting about my mouth just wanting to get away from him. I felt so embarrassed.
"Weasley, wait!"
I ignored him and quicken my pace. I heard him run up behind me. He grabbed my arm before I could escape.
"We have go to the Hospital Wing." He said turning me to face him.
Malfoy tried to lead me by the arm towards the Hospital Wing but I yanked my arm from him saying angrily "I can walk on my own."
We walked in silence until we were in the corridor that led to the Hospital Wing. There Malfoy turned to me.
"A few days ago, were you yelling something about me in one of the corridors?" Malfoy asked suspiciously.
I was hoping he had forgotten about that, I put on my best-confused face and lied.
"No, you must be imagining things."
There was an awkward pause and we continued walking until Malfoy asked hesitantly.
"Can you not tell Albus about me telling you about him telling me the story?"
"Maybe." I answered honestly. I wasn't sure if I wanted to ask Albus about it yet or let it slide.
Malfoy knew he wouldn't get anything else out of me so he kept his mouth shut. He walked me to the Hospital Wing entrance where he asked me rather awkwardly.
"Do you want me to come in with you?"
"No, it's fine." I said as I walked into the Hospital Wing. I just wanted to get away from him. he is causing me way too many problems!
